1. Field of the Invention
This invention most generally relates to portable striking tools, more particularly to mauls, sledges, and single-bit and double-bit axes with an improved striking face angle. Even more particularly to a wood splitting maul having a head unit with an improved striking face angle and a handle. The improved angle is created by a straight line of the face extended to a pivot point in a bottom end of the handle substantially at a user gripping section and a line along the longitudinal axis of the handle. The improved wood splitting maul has additionally incorporated therein a head unit having a substantially flat outward surface substantially perpendicular to a handle when the handle is assembled to the head unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Not much has been described regarding the angle of the striking face of a tool. U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,709 by Porter describes a drywall hatchet with a striking end at an angle of about 95 degrees to enable the user to drive nails close to the intersection of two room surfaces and to reduce the risk of dimpling the drywall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,955 by Savnich teaches a hammer with a generally square striking head offset 45 degrees to improve vision and accuracy, but no angle is specified for the striking face. U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,164 by Bellegante teaches a swiveled axe and hatchet where the striking face angle is varied by a flexible joint in the handle for use by firemen.
It should be further noted that no attention has been given to providing a surface as a part of the tool which permits the user to stand the tool upright. In other words, be able to set the tool down in such a manner so that the handle is readily available to the user when another piece of wood is ready to be struck with the tool. It is recognized by those who use a wood splitting maul that considerable energy is expended by the user in bending over to pick up the tool each time it is layed down. Perhaps as much energy is expended in this action as is expended in the swinging of the maul to accomplish the wood splitting function.
The safe way to split wood is to adopt a swing bending the knees so that the hands end up at approximately the same height as the head of the maul or axe at the end of the stroke. If one stands with his knees straight without bending over and the implement misses the intended target, the axe, maul, or sledge may continue its arc and strike the leg or foot of the worker. Therefore, the bending of the knees and the lowering of the hands is an important safety step.
Generally, the prior art shows a head unit with an angle of the striking edge or face which is substantially parallel to the handle. Using a safe wood splitting technique with the prior art maul results in the striking edge surface meeting a log surface or a wedge surface at an angle. This uneven contact results in a loss of energy, a burring of the wedge and/or the striking face (if metal to metal contact), and a jarring sensation to both the handle and the human user. Over a period of time these slight imperfect contacts result in unnecessary fatigue to the user through loss of efficiency, burring of striking surfaces, breakage or weakening of handles, and possibly significant jarring to the user. Observe that a hardware store will stock as many spare handles as original mauls, axes, and sledges. They expect the handles to break in ordinary usage.
It would be desirable and advantageous to have the striking face parallel to the wood to be split if the sharp end of a maul is used. It would also be desirable and advantageous if the striking face of a sledge (or blunt end of a mall) would be parallel to the metal wedge to eliminate the disadvantages outlined above. It would be an additional advantage if the improvements cost no more than for a normal maul or sledge hammer. It would further be desireable to have a maul which could be set down by the user in such a manner as to make the handle accessible to the user without the user having to bend over to grab the handle thereby saving a substantial amount of energy that need be expended by the user in the process of splitting wood.